What Makes a Great Restaurant Brand?

What makes a great restaurant brand? On the most basic level, the establishment should run smoothly, employ quality workers and deliver what is promised to guests. However, digging a bit deeper reveals that it isn’t always that simple.

“First, you need to have the concept that has the proper systems and processes in place for growth,” explained Steve Beagelman, founder and CEO of SMB Franchise Advisors*. “This includes great food, with the right cost of goods, excellent service and terrific team members or staff to provide exceptional product and service to your customers.”

A strong concept is what will make or break a restaurant. What takes it from good to great is the franchisor’s ability and willingness to equip franchise owners with what they need to go above and beyond in their individual restaurants.

In a March interview, Peter Ricciardi, chief launch officer at startup consultancy Ten9Eight7, LLC, told 1851, “The consumer is much more demanding than they ever were previously. They want what they want, when they want — and they want to be able to have it any way they want it, which means they want to be able to take out, they want third-party deliveries, curbside delivery, drive-thrus and indoor and outdoor seating. And a franchisor needs to be prepared to meet these changing expectations of their consumers.” 

In theory, the ever-changing field of technology available to restaurant owners will make it easy to deliver just what guests want. Still, even the best technology must be implemented properly. For a franchisee to leverage all of the resources at hand, including the standard benefits of the franchise model, information must be easily accessible.

“Make sure you have everything documented for your franchisees to follow,” Beagelman said. “Make sure you have all your products and vendors set up for your franchisees to work with. The franchise model is created and ready to roll out with your franchisees.”

And, of course, the people within the franchise network are crucial to its success.

“The crisis that all franchisors are facing, and will face in the future, is employees and whether or not they have enough employees and can meet their expectations,” said Ricciardi. “Employees now feel like they have a say in whether they work, so having a positive, attractive work environment that is made easier by streamlined technological components only adds to maintaining a motivated workforce.” 

A careful balance must be struck between employees and franchisees feeling empowered to join a workplace that fits well with their professional desires and members of the network looking to overpower the predetermined processes. Ultimately, the beauty of the franchise model is that the business plan has already been established.

While great employees and franchisees — and strong relationships with these people — can shape the future of a restaurant brand, they should never fully overtake the franchisor.

“You want franchisees that believe in the concept and are great brand ambassadors — passionate. They want to follow a proven system and concept. They understand that it is their job to build and grow their business locally,” Beagelman explained. “If it seems like someone wants to become a franchisee and change your systems and processes, that should be a warning sign that they might not be the right franchisee for your franchise brand.”